Rhode Island Commuter Rail Proposals

[Cotuit]

RIPTA should get commuter coaches and put them express on the same path as the proposed train stations, Wickford, Green, Providence, Pawtucket (people in Pawtucket will have to reverse commute to Providence to get Boston trains, unless the coaches can run to Attleboro). Get people used to the route and onto buses in anticipation of the service and also take advantage of this new expanded service to run people to the airport. Once the trains are in place, move the coaches further south to bring them from South County to the Commuter Rail and Providence.

[Garris]

But, here's the problem, the sad state of the area outside Providence Station (and what makes it even sadder is the relative youth of this area):

E-mail Amtrak at this link. I just did, and I included a link to your rant and photos...

- Garris

[CtownMikey]

might as well clean up the area oursleves

[TheBostonian]

Feel free to move or delete this if I'm behind on this or posting in the wrong place:

http://www.boston.com/news/local/rhode_isl...ce_will_expand/

Commuter rail service to Providence will expand

July 14, 2006

For the first time in decades, the MBTA plans to expand commuter rail service to and from Providence by the end of the month, increasing the number of weekday trips and starting weekend service.

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I thought this would come later with the opening of the new airport station. But this is wonderful news.

[Recchia]

The Exchange St./Memorial Blvd clusterf*ck, can't tell you how many times I almost got nailed by a left-turning car there last summer... I had my worst case of crosswalk rage there one time.

[Cotuit]

I had my worst case of crosswalk rage there one time.

Me too. I was in the crosswalk, the walk light was on, someone making a left leaned on their horn and leaned out their window and shouted a naughty word at me. I simply stood, in the middle of the crosswalk, in front of the gentleman's car, and pointed at the walk light, and responded with a naughty word. Then I finished crossing the street. The driver continued to yell naughty words at me, so I followed him down Memorial Blvd. and shared some of my own naughty words with him.

Maybe not as bad as the time I threw an ice coffee at someone who actually hit me, but hey, they hit me, they deserved to have something thrown at them. And there was the time that I walked someone off the road in Watertown (me on foot, them in car, me yelling, chasing, walking them off the road).

Lesson, don't f*ck with me when I'm in the crosswalk and have the light, I'm crazy!

Feel free to move or delete this if I'm behind on this or posting in the wrong place:

You're too slow.

[BBascule]

Some interesting bits from that Boston.com article:

The line is also getting a new name, switching from the Attleboro-Stoughton line to the Providence-Stoughton line.

Currently, the last weekday train to Providence departs South Station at 8:15 p.m. but the new service will add three night trips, departing hourly on the hour from 9 p.m. to midnight, officials said.

The commuter rail line is the busiest in the MBTA system, making 26,950 passenger trips daily.

[runawayjim]

Some interesting bits from that Boston.com article:

interesting...

given that it's the busiest line, why hadn't this change been made much sooner than it was?

E-mail Amtrak at this link. I just did, and I included a link to your rant and photos...

- Garris

is amtrak in charge of upkeep of the station and its surroundings?

[brick]

given that it's the busiest line, why hadn't this change been made much sooner than it was?

Because that figure isn't just Providence trips. the Attleboro and Mansfield stops are extremely busy, and the largest commuter rail station (the 128 transportation center in Westwood) is on this line. It also goes through Roslindale and Hyde Park which are desnely populated and not otherwise serviced by the T.

[DaveRPI]

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachus...?p1=MEWell_Pos3

Because that figure isn't just Providence trips. the Attleboro and Mansfield stops are extremely busy, and the largest commuter rail station (the 128 transportation center in Westwood) is on this line. It also goes through Roslindale and Hyde Park which are desnely populated and not otherwise serviced by the T.

no stop in roslindale and no one gets on or off at hyde park, cept for maybe 2-5 people in the morning

mansfield and attleboro are the busiest by far, but if you knew the situation you would look around in the parking lots and see a lot of RI plates...

[mental757]

I agree with Dave - I've taken this line into BOS dozens of times and people barely get off at Hyde Park or even Ruggles (the trains that actually stop there). Less people use Back Bay than I would imagine (outside of peak times). Its mostly Mansfield/Canton Junction/Rt 128 south to/from SouthStation IMHO...

Feel free to move or delete this if I'm behind on this or posting in the wrong place:

http://www.boston.com/news/local/rhode_isl...ce_will_expand/

Commuter rail service to Providence will expand

July 14, 2006

For the first time in decades, the MBTA plans to expand commuter rail service to and from Providence by the end of the month, increasing the number of weekday trips and starting weekend service.

--------

I thought this would come later with the opening of the new airport station. But this is wonderful news.

You're too slow.

technically - the articel hadn't been posted in THIS thread yet though...

[Dale]

might as well clean up the area oursleves

They'd probably throw you in jail for that for not having a proper permit.

It's not about what makes sense anymore.

[brick]

I agree with Dave - I've taken this line into BOS dozens of times and people barely get off at Hyde Park or even Ruggles (the trains that actually stop there). Less people use Back Bay than I would imagine (outside of peak times). Its mostly Mansfield/Canton Junction/Rt 128 south to/from SouthStation IMHO...

this does not in any way imply what Jim was wondering about, which implies that all of those riders are going back and forth to Providence. Adding the extended service to Providence is not going to service all of those people, it will service a relatively small fraction of them. That's my point. It's not as if 28000 people per day were going to/from Providence.

As for the question of why it didn't happen sooner, wasn't the whole MBTA coming into Providence thing a deal between RIPTA and MBTA where RIPTA (or the state of RI depending how you want to trace back) didn't want the deal to include weekend service?

Back Bay doesn't have a good transfer into the regular MBTA network, I think that's why South Station is the most popular.

[runawayjim]

this does not in any way imply what Jim was wondering about, which implies that all of those riders are going back and forth to Providence. Adding the extended service to Providence is not going to service all of those people, it will service a relatively small fraction of them. That's my point. It's not as if 28000 people per day were going to/from Providence.

As for the question of why it didn't happen sooner, wasn't the whole MBTA coming into Providence thing a deal between RIPTA and MBTA where RIPTA (or the state of RI depending how you want to trace back) didn't want the deal to include weekend service?

Back Bay doesn't have a good transfer into the regular MBTA network, I think that's why South Station is the most popular.

a lot of rhode islanders go to the south attleboro station. in fact, the lot there is full of RI plates...

[Cotuit]

As for the question of why it didn't happen sooner, wasn't the whole MBTA coming into Providence thing a deal between RIPTA and MBTA where RIPTA (or the state of RI depending how you want to trace back) didn't want the deal to include weekend service?

Attleboro didn't want people to be able to easily get to PPM and not shop at Emerald Square.

[brick]

a lot of rhode islanders go to the south attleboro station. in fact, the lot there is full of RI plates...

Yes. And there are 500 or so parking spaces (567) compared to the 700 or so in Attleboro (780), 900 in Mansfield (806), and 3000 at the 128 center (2589).

Look, obviously there is demand but using the 27000 number exagerrates that demand - especially considering that is a weekday number and we are talking about weekend and late night service, which I guess should have been the first point I made.

If the demand was so overwhelming that the T could have made a bunch of money with the service, then I think they would have ignored the politicking and just done it a long time ago. As it stands, this will be useful to many people (a certain UP spouse for one) who can now take a later train all the way into Providence. This is obivously a good thing and the weekend service is a good thing. But, I don't expect those late night and weekend trains to be brimming with folks.

edit: looked up actual numbers

[runawayjim]

Yes. And there are 500 or so parking spaces compared to the 700 or so in Attleboro, 900 in Mansfield, and 3000 at the 128 center.

Look, obviously there is demand but using the 27000 number exagerrates that demand - especially considering that is a weekday number and we are talking about weekend and late night service, which I guess should have been the first point I made.

If the demand was so overwhelming that the T could have made a bunch of money with the service, then I think they would have ignored the politicking and just done it a long time ago. As it stands, this will be useful to many people (a certain UP spouse for one) who can now take a later train all the way into Providence. This is obivously a good thing and the weekend service is a good thing. But, I don't expect those late night and weekend trains to be brimming with folks.

i expect it will take time for it to start to catch on, but i'm sure it will...

i know this is a tough comparison, but look at the MTA's metro north service to new haven. it's full of people taking the train into new york for a day in the city.

edit: i know there's not many spaces in providence, but i think there should be more...

[Cotuit]

Look, obviously there is demand but using the 27000 number exagerrates that demand

Yes, certainly the demand in Providence is not coming from 27,000 people, but there is certainly some 'if you build it they will come' that will result. And Attleboro will be happy that a good proportion of Rhode Islanders will no longer be parking in their lots every morning.

Demand will also translate into more riders if RIPTA doesn't drop the ball on making at least some lines run direct to the train station. Transferring to the Gold Line in Kennedy Plaza is a beyond idiotic solution to the gap.

edit: i know there's not many spaces in providence, but i think there should be more...

There's talk of expanding parking if we get a Downcity TIF.

[mental757]

I thought there was a bunch of spots in the PPM for commuter parking??

In no way am I saying that the demand is created by Providence on this line, but 4 more roundtrips and weekend service will undoubtedly make MANY people switch to the Providence station from the South Attleboro station (and Attleboro too) as well as some who simply used to drive to/from Providence from the MA suburbs. I just think it allows for more bi-direction traffic on this branch (where BOS is still the demand driver of course, while the PVD will continue to grow).

Cotuit - maybe a letter to Amtrak, RIDOT and RIPTA are in order:

we just got this shot in the arm for much improved mass-transit, but we need to fix up the infrastructure (even very low budget sidewalk repair and aesthetics) and brideg the gap between MBTA and RIPTA...

[mental757]

the story is in today's projo news blog:

http://www.beloblog.com/ProJo_Blogs/newsbl...bosto.html#more

[Cotuit]

I thought there was a bunch of spots in the PPM for commuter parking??

With GTECH and Fidelity coming to town, the commuter spots in PPM are being taken up by people commuting to Providence. Demand for parking Downtown has increased dramatically in recent months in advance of GTECHs arrival.

[provid]

weekend service atlast. Great news.

[eltron]

Great photos, Cotuit.

Speaks volumes, and hope someone in authority sees them...

[Mij]

Great photos, Cotuit.

Speaks volumes, and hope someone in authority sees them...

I agree. I take the MBTA everyday. I'm going to try and get some pictures of how bad the inside is. I must sound like a broken record but it is embarrassing. The scrape heap of an escalator that prohibits passengers from coming and going at the same time is a scare on the face of Providence. This is an extremely bad first impression.

[TheBostonian]

As a visitor who came through the station I didn't notice any of these problems. Of course they are there, but none of it was in my face. It seemed like a bustling train station and a delightful building. And now it will soon be more bustling.